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Saturday, March 26, 2011

Doctor Who: The Curse of Fenric

"... if the brilliant Twin Peaks can't make chess on TV any good, then what possibly might?"

So asked T.C. on the 9th of this month. I suggested The Wire, but Tom thought chess didn't play a big enough part in that marvellous programme for it to count. On that basis we'll have to ignore a Doctor Who story from the Tom Baker era (shame), but perhaps I can interest you in an episode of Blake's 7?

Don't like any of them? Well, feel free to browse our video archive for a few more possibilities (some of which might even still work), or, if you'd rather, stay on this page a watch Doctor Who: Curse of Fenric in its glorious entirety. Yes, it's Sylvester McCoy, the worst-ever Doctor; yes it's Ace the third-worst-ever companion (behind only Bonnie Langford and Catherine Tate), but dagnabbit, chess is central to the whole story.

I used to think badly of Tegan, perhaps because she kept wearing the absurd air hostess uniform while travelling the galaxy. But that did set up (in my view) one of the most hilarious Who moments ever, in episode four of "Time Flight".

I only recently found out that Nyssa was axed from the show (I assumed that she went voluntarily).

The Curse of Fenric is always in the top 10 when fans vote on best ever stories, Sylvester McCoy while not the best (that's Peter Davison d'uh) is certainly not the worst ever as this fine story shows.

Ace is one of the better assistants too, so leave of her Jonathan! But Pond and Peri rock!